Lover's community at assigned 7716 and i needed time split field, and confidence the field and social situations. The average age to start more advanced training is 7 months old. This is when a dog is mature enough to handle more discipline and the repetitive training such as sit to the whistle or whoa work. This is also the age that a dog begins to test boundaries and their owner's authority. Training at the age determine the attitude and handling of your dog for years to follow. Do you only train Bird Dogs? We are known for developing world class bird dogs but we train all breeds. For obedience or off leash training we recommend working one on one with a trainer. Training the dog is 50% of our job and helping the owner become more confidant as a handler is the other 50%. What does a day at Valhalla look like? We have a staff that specializes keeping bird dogs busy. We are well aware of the exercise requirements of our guests and make sure they are tired at the end of the day. We have climate controlled indoor enclosures and dogs have access at all times to their outdoor enclosures. Play groups are consistently being managed the exercise yards. Training dogs spend their morning the training fields and are shuttled back and forth to the kennel. Feeding begins around and then another round of exercise the play groups. Early evening the dogs are tucked for the night and sleep sound until the trainers arrive bright and early to start all over again. How involved should I be the training process? As a general rule the trainers like to have 2 solid weeks with your dog before you participate. This gives them a to develop a bond with the dog and the dog to focus 100% on the training process without distractions. After those 2 weeks, sessions with the trainers are by appointment only. Upon completion of the program it is crucial to spend time with the trainers to learn the commands and signals that the dog has been trained with. You also learn how to correct negative behavior and handle your dog the field. most cases owners are welcome to visit their dogs anytime the kennel but checking dogs out for weekends or disrupting the daily regimen of training is discouraged. Who are our Clients? Our customers want to bring out the best their dogs. The training goals are unique to each dog but we work with clients that are committed to investing their dog's education and learning the appropriate handling skills. We can help all levels of training, from building a world class bird dog to having a well-trained running buddy. What if I'm not a Sporting breeds are genetically designed to work and they need to be given a job. Even if you have no intentions of becoming a spending time the field is a great outlet for your dog's energy and drive. Since obedience training is a natural by-product of the field training process you also enjoy a more respectful and mature dog as a result. What are some simple obedience training tips for when you get a new puppy? We encourage owners of new pointer puppies to avoid teaching the sit command. This command can create bad habits the field when formal Whoa breaking is started. When pressure is applied giving the Whoa command some dogs have a tendency to sit because sitting the past has resulted positive feedback. We also encourage owners of both pointing and retrieving breeds not to give squeaky toys to their puppies. Besides being obnoxious they can create a hard mouth and bad retrieving habits. Think about the air escaping from the lungs of a dead bird. It's similar enough that dogs can equate dead birds with toys. How do you make the first introduction of the dog to live birds? The key to introducing live birds is to make sure the puppy is confident its environment and that the bird is not a position to scare or hurt the puppy. Usually pulling a couple flight feathers on a pigeon and letting a puppy chase is the best way to introduce the first couple times. The goal is to develop drive and get excited about birds. As with any training exercise at a age the sessions need to stay short and always end on a positive note. Words of wisdom for the new bird dog owner? The most important thing you can do when you bring a new puppy home is set boundaries.